There’s nothing mini about the new ZTE Nubia Z18 Mini

It has some hefty specs, is AI-capable, and has a large screen with a high resolution.

It’s also incredibly cheap, with the base model coming in below $300.

Usually, when the word “mini” is attached to something, you think small. Like those mini candies people give out at Halloween that are smaller than the already-small “fun size” candies. Come on you cheapskates; you’re killing us here.

Anyway, the recently announced ZTE Nubia Z18 Mini has the word “mini” in it, but don’t be fooled: there is nothing mini about the Nubia Z18 Mini. Not only is the phone physically large at 148 x 70.6 x 7.6mm (5.83 x 2.78 x 0.30in), but it’s packing some pretty hefty specs.

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The ZTE Nubia Z18 Mini comes with a Snapdragon 660 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 128GB of storage. The 5.7-inch display has a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 in an 18:9 aspect ratio. There is only a sliver of a bezel on the sides of the device, and a notch-less top and bottom bezel.

There’s a selfie shooter on the front (8MP f/2.0) and a dual camera setup on the back (24MP f/1.7 + 5MP) with a fingerprint sensor underneath.

Since the Z18 Mini packs the Snapdragon 660, it is capable of artificial intelligence tasks. Inside, the device will have a unique ZTE-designed system called NeoSmart AI, and there’s a dedicated hardware button to launch it.

Finally, the Z18 Mini comes in five gleaming colors: white, black, light blue, purple, and pink. For some reason, the purple color costs a bit more than the other four.

Speaking of cost, that’s probably where the “mini” moniker comes in. The 64GB model will set you back CNY 1,799 (~$286), and the 128GB variant will cost CNY 2,099 (~$334). That’s not too bad for some pretty hefty specs.

Unfortunately, the ZTE Nubia Z18 Mini is only available in China so far, and there’s no word on it coming to any other countries. We’ll let you know if that changes.